A knitted fabric having a half cardigan loop structure is illustrated in FIG. 5 in an understandable way. FIG. 5 shows a front side of the half cardigan knitting structure wherein first wale “a” formed by back stitches of tuck loops and knitted loops and second wale “b” formed by front stitches of knitted loops are alternately formed.
In FIG. 5, a knitted loop of the first wale “a” has a height corresponding to two courses of knitted loops of the second wale “b”. In the first wale “a”, the knitted loops and the tuck loops are in the state of being overlapped with each other.
A coarse-knitting-gauge knitted fabric having the half cardigan knitting structure can be knitted by the knitting method for providing roughened loops using alternate needles of needle beds of a knitting machine. Take a 5-gauge knitting machine designed for providing five-gauge texture for the knitted fabric, for instance, it can also provide a coarse-textured knitted fabric by knitting with alternate needles. The method for providing a coarse knitting gauge for the knitted fabric using alternate needles is described, for example, by JP Laid-open (Unexamined) Patent Publication No. Hei 11-189954.
When this half gauge knitting is used to provide the coarse loops for the knitted fabric, a thicker yarn can be used for the same knitting machine, and as such can provide texture differences for the knitted fabric of the same half cardigan structure.
There is proposed a knitting technique to allow the loops formed during the course knitting to be roughened by using empty needles located between adjoining loops and not involved in knitting during the formation of the loops. In this knitting technique, during the course knitting, knitted loops are formed with and the knitting yarn is temporarily held on the empty needles and, thereafter, the temporarily held loops are knocked over from the empty needles. This knitting technique is commonly called “drop knitting”. When this drop knitting is used in combination with the half gauge knitting using alternate needles, the loops knitted can be roughened further.
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a knitting method for knitting the half cardigan knitting structure by combination of the half gauge knitting using alternate needles and the drop knitting. The front side of the knitted fabric produced by this knitting method takes the form of the back side of the knitted fabric of FIG. 5.
FIGS. 6 and 7 show the knitting process drawings showing the knitting steps of knitting a knitted fabric into tubular form by using a flat knitting machine having a front needle bed FB and a back needle bed BB. In this knitting process, a front knitted fabric part having a half cardigan structure is knitted on the front needle bed FB and back knitted fabric part of the half cardigan structure is knitted on the back needle bed BB.
FIG. 6(1) shows the state that knitted loops of the front knitted fabric part are hooked by knitting needles of the front needle bed FB, and knitted loops of the back knitted fabric part are hooked by knitting needles of the back needle bed BB. The front knitted fabric part is knitted by one course from this state, first. Of the loops hooked by the knitting needles of the front needle bed FB, the knitted loops to form the second wale of FIG. 5 are transferred to empty needles of the back needle bed BB, as shown in FIG. 6(2). At this time, the knitted loops to form the first wale of FIG. 5 are left on the front needle bed FB.
Then, at the same time that tuck loops of the first wale are formed with knitting needles B of the front needle bed FB, the knitting yarn is temporarily held on the empty needles A located at both lateral sides of the needles B and, then, knitted loops of the second wale are formed with needles C by which the knitted loops transferred to the back needle bed BB are hooked (FIG. 6(3)). Then, after the knitting yarn temporarily held on the empty needles A at the both lateral sides of the needles B is released in the state of FIG. 6(3) (FIG. 6(4)), the knitted loops hooked by the needles C of the back needle bed BB are transferred back to the needles of the front needle bed FB to produce the state of FIG. 6(5).
Then, the back knitted fabric part is knitted one course. Of the knitted loops hooked by the knitting needles of the back needle bed BB, the knitted loops to form the second wale of FIG. 5 are transferred to empty needles of the front needle bed FB, as shown in FIG. 6(6). At this time, the knitted loops to form the first wale of FIG. 5 are left on the back needle bed BB.
Then, at the same time that tuck loops of the first wale are formed with knitting needles E of the back needle bed BB, the knitting yarn is temporarily held on empty needles C, D located at both lateral sides of the needles E and, then, knitted loops of the second wale are formed with needles A in which the knitted loops transferred to the front needle bed FB are hooked (FIG. 6(7)). After the knitted loops held by the empty needles C, D at the both lateral sides of the needles E are released in the state of FIG. 6(7) (FIG. 6(8)), the knitted loops hooked by the needles A of the front needle bed FB are transferred back to the needles of the back needle bed BB to produce the state of FIG. 6(9).
Then, the knitting of the front knitted fabric part proceeds. As shown in FIG. 7(10), after the knitted loops of the second wale on the front needle bed FB are transferred to empty needles C of the back needle bed BB, the knitted loops are formed with these needles C. In parallel with this, the knitted loops of the first wale of the front knitted fabric part are formed with the needles B and also the knitting yarn is temporarily held on the empty needles A at both lateral sides of the needles B.
Then, as shown in FIG. 7(11), after the knitted loops held on the empty needles A are released therefrom, the knitted loops hooked in the needles C of the back needle bed BB are transferred to the knitting needles of the front needle bed FB to produce the state of FIG. 7(12).
Then, the knitting of the back knitted fabric part proceeds. As shown in FIG. 7(13), after the knitted loops of the second wale on the back needle bed BB are transferred to empty needles A of the front needle bed FB, the knitted loops are formed with these needles A. In parallel with this, the knitted loops of the first wale of the back knitted fabric part are knitted with the needles E and also the knitting yarn is temporarily held on the empty needles C, D at both lateral sides of the needles E.
Then, as shown in FIG. 7(14), after the knitting yarn temporarily held on the empty needles C, D are released therefrom, the knitted loops hooked in the needles A of the front needle bed FB are transferred to the knitting needles of the back needle bed BB to produce the state of FIG. 7(15).
By repetition of the knitting steps illustrated in FIG. 6(1) through FIG. 7(15), the half cardigan knitting structure shown in FIG. 5 can be knitted with roughened loops. In this half cardigan knitting structure, the knitting yarn temporarily held on the empty needles shown in FIG. 6(3)(7) and FIG. 7(10)(13) serve as a drop portion or a length adjusting portion for the knitted loops and the tuck loops to be increased in size. The knitting yarn temporarily held on the empty needles can allow the tuck loops and the knitted loops knitted to increase in loop length.
Incidentally, in the conventional knitting method for knitting the half cardigan knitting structure illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the tuck loops are formed, the tuck loops are put in the state of being overlapped with the knitted loops of the first wale formed with and held on the needles B in the previous knitting step. In addition, the temporarily-held knitting yarn is continuous with the tuck loops of the first wale and the knitted loops of the second wale.
Due to this, when the knitting yarn temporarily held when the tuck loops are formed is released, the knitting yarn continuous with the tuck loops which are in contact with the knitted loops does not slip smoothly, due to which it becomes hard for the knitting yarn dropped to be absorbed in the loops around.
This can provide an undesirable result that sinker loops between the first wale and the second wale are elongated partly, so that the respective loops are badly balanced to prevent symmetric formation of the knitted fabric. This can also provide the disadvantage of making it hard to do the loop transference and the knitting.
Particularly when the knitting yarn is temporarily held on only a single needle, or when the knitting yarn is temporarily held on only the empty needle at one lateral side of the needle used to form the tuck loop and is not held on the empty needle at the other lateral side thereof, the knitted fabric becomes badly balanced further.
In the light of the disadvantages mentioned above, the present invention has been developed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a knitting method for knitting a knitted fabric according to which even when a knitted fabric of a half cardigan knitting structure is knitted by the half gauge knitting combined with the knitting technique of temporarily holding the knitting yarn on the needles, the loops of the knitted fabric can be prevented from getting out of shape to provide a knitted fabric of well-balanced loops.